The field trip attracted lots of participants, almost 95 people attended. The trip was offered to Ms. Wong’s and Ms. Torres’s Spanish 3 and Spanish 3 Honors classes. The trip was to the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen, and later, the group went to Cafe Ba Ba Reeba on Halsted.
During the visit to the Museum of Mexican Art, the large group split into three and took a guided tour of the Day of The Dead exhibit. The exhibit featured many different types of altars, or Ofrendas, decorated with Marigold flowers, candles, papel picado, and beverages. There were all different styles and made of all different materials. Along with altars, there were many other pieces art depicting things involving Day of the Dead, such as sculptures, paintings, and clay scenes.
For the Day of the Dead, ancestors passed down traditions for Day of the Dead decorations, and the museums brought families there to sell their traditional creations. These creations range from painted animals carved from wood to hand weaved scarves.
When they were done at the museum, they boarded the bus again and headed north, downtown to Cafe Ba Ba Reeba. The food was served buffet style. There were goat cheese in a type of marinara sauce, stuffed mushroom tops, chicken and spiced sausage skewers, and two types of Spanish palleas, which is a dish served with rice, chicken, and other things, all fried in a large pan. The meal was topped off with a dark chocolate mousse with caramel and whipped cream.
The students had fun with their friends, learning things about the Spanish holiday and eating its food. They had the opportunity to learn about the holiday in depth and see how it was celebrated around the world.